Women who work within the AFL community and are fans of the game are left feeling hurt and angered by the fallout of the GWS post-season function saga, while many have been targeted online after speaking out against the behaviour.
More than a dozen current and former GWS players were handed sanctions by the AFL on Thursday for their behaviour at the Giants’ post-season function, which AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon described as “completely unacceptable”.
Kate McCarthy, football commentator and former AFLW All Australian, said there seemed to be a lack of public understanding of the overriding issue at the heart of the incident.
“I’m kind of noticing online that people don’t actually get what the problem is, which is the most disappointing part,” McCarthy said.
“The fact that making jokes about sexual assault is part of rape culture, and basically harmless jokes actually aren’t harmless when they’re about this sort of topic.
“That’s the real sticking point here, it’s just ‘oh boys being boys’ or it’s ‘get over it, it’s a joke’ well, actually, these jokes are what could hurt us really, in the end.
“Because it breeds a culture where those things are accepted, which then, as we’ve seen in research, that leads to gender-based violence.”
Josh Fahey was handed the severest punishment with a four-game ban after dressing up as former NRL player Jarryd Hayne and simulating inappropriate sexual acts with an inflatable doll. Jake Riccardi was dressed as a taxi driver.
Hayne was convicted of sexual assault offences and sentenced to a prison term in 2023 before the conviction was overturned on appeal and the charges formally dropped.
GWS AFLW captain Rebecca Beeson said it was important the women’s playing group made it known they were “deeply hurt and angered” when learning of the behaviour that occurred at the men’s post-season event.
“Playing the game we love gives us a platform to speak to the community, fans and young people,” Beeson told ABC Sport.
“As the AFLW playing group, we feel it is of great importance to stress that the behaviour that included references to gender-based violence is completely unacceptable under any circumstances.”
Rebecca Beeson said members of the Giants’ AFLW team were hurt by the actions of their male colleagues. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)
Other players Toby McMullin and Cooper Hamilton simulated the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, while Connor Idun and Lachie Whitfield enacted a scene from the movie Django Unchained, characterising slavery.
McCarthy said she was disappointed the only high-profile people criticising the incident were women.
“That’s the most disappointing thing. We have so many journalists or football personalities that are really, really happy to speak out and be very, very vocal on topics in the game that are on field or off field, but none of them have made any sort of noise around this,” McCarthy said.
However, McCarthy said it was good to see the AFL being proactive and handing down punishments.
The three-club player has been on the receiving end of negative online comments after speaking out, as was AFL presenter and podcaster Nat Edwards.
Emma Race, who co-created the Outer Sanctum Podcast and Making the Call sports broadcasting program, said the link between jokes and gender-based violence was misunderstood in the community.
“For people like us who work in the game, the shock is when our male colleagues are not making that connection, and when the players who have had all of the education from school, the AFL, their clubs and even stood in a circle in memoriam of women and are still not making that connection either,” she said.
“The attitudes of media colleagues and former players have so much weight with the trolls and give way to an online conversation where the response is to be aggressive and blame the people who find this behaviour confronting, rather laying responsibility at the feet of the people whose behaviour is at the centre of the incident.”
This year, AFL players, coaches and umpires stood arm-in-arm in a circle on the ground before matches and observed a moment’s silence to honour the victims of violence against women.
One woman has been killed violently on average every four days in Australia this year.
This year, Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly did an education session with GWS, including the men’s playing group, on equality and respect.
“We are not across the detail of what is alleged to have taken place, but any kind of behaviours including jokes that are sexist or about sexual violence are not harmless,” she said.
“They normalise harmful attitudes toward women, minimise violence and reinforce harmful stereotypes. They contribute to a culture where violence against women is accepted and thrives.
“We are in the midst of a national crisis of violence against women, and sporting codes, in particular male sporting stars, have a vital role in standing alongside the women in their lives — to lead and model respectful behaviour and advocate for change among their fans and across the community.
“Their voices and behaviours are powerful in helping deliver real-world change to reduce and end violence against women.”
